Modern vehicles are capable of monitoring an ever-growing amount of information. The ability to display this information in a way for a driver to easily view and interpret can be difficult. In particular, maps and directions in current vehicles are often displayed by flat-screen displays positioned in front of or to the side of the driver. These displays can be built into the vehicle's dashboard or can include separate displays that are mounted to the vehicle's dashboard or front windshield. To provide for safe operation of the vehicle, it is important that the information presented on these displays be easily viewed and understood by a driver.
When a person looks at a physical map and scenery, his or her natural instinct is to hold the map in front of him while tilting the map to be somewhat parallel to the ground. By positioning the map in this manner, the person can more easily relate the information presented on the map to the user's surroundings. Similarly, in the case of portable navigation systems, a driver can physically tilt or slant the display to achieve a tilted view of the displayed map. Some navigation devices can depict two- or three-dimensional street-level maps that mimic a tilted viewing angle. This is achieved by virtually tilting the map within the device's display to simulate depth.
Unfortunately, these devices are generally limited to a single viewing angle, based either on the physical tilt angle of the display screen, or the simulated virtual tilt angle of the map. As such, it is difficult to use these devices to convey additional important driving information, such as distance to destination, vehicle speed, and other gauge values, which should be substantially orthogonal to the driver's viewing angle to allow the driver to read the information.